Pakhi and Jalgwad villages share the same van panchayat and gram panchayat. The van panchayat was formed in 1958 to protect an area of 240 hectares. Both villages are located in the Chamoli District near Gopeshwar town, where the famous Chipko movement began in the 1970s. The conservation in these villages was initially completely handled by women. The men stayed away from protecting their environment and told the women that it was their responsibility. This changed when the village Joint Forest Management scheme was announced in 1999. The men suddenly became overenthusiastic and employed 3 guards to watch the forest. All the inputs of the women were overlooked, and they were not allowed to make any big decisions. This scheme didn’t work out well for the men due to the complete control that the Forest Department (FD) had during this entire process. This proves that it would be more beneficial to consult the local people before making policies that are more harmful than helpful for the villagers.